Do you have a space dedicated to Divine presence? It's important to anchor your spiritual life by setting aside a special place that represents your commitment to the Divine. While the Divine is certainly everything and everywhere, if we specifically take the time to create a beautiful scene of sacred elements expressing our connection to the Divine that connection is significantly deepened and enhanced,

Today marks the start of Navratri (‘The Nine-Nights’) the festival of the Divine Mother in Her three forms, or the trinity known as the ‘Tridevi’, that is formed by Durga, the goddess of strength, steadfastness, and courage, Lakshmi, the goddess of abundance and beauty, and Saraswati, the goddess of learning, wisdom, and communication. This major festival is celebrated with various prayers, gifts, fasts, and feasts, where each goddess represents an aspect of achievement and perfection within one’s own life journey.

Sunrise and Moonset at the summit of San Gorgonio Mountain, 11,500 feet

Across time and cultures, spiritual practitioners have withdrawn for periods of time into the Wilderness to deepen their connection with the Divine. This weekend I spent three full days in the depth of the San Gorgonio Wilderness during which time I briefly encountered only 3 other hikers and 1 park ranger. There was a total absence of human generated light and sounds. Pure silence and only the music of the forest, pure sunlight and moonlight and starlight. It was a perfect opportunity to deepen my Hiking Yoga practice and my connection with Divine Source.

Hiking Yoga takes the principles of Yoga off the mat and puts them in motion out in the beauty of Nature. Performed regularly and with sincere devotion, this practice can initiate profound energetic changes and can even bring Enlightenment! Observation and appreciation of the Beauty of Nature and intentional commingling with the Elements can have profound healing and transformative power.